This invention relates generally to hand tools and, more particularly, to various embodiments of a wide variety of different types of hand tools for applying various types of tape such as masking tape to various surfaces prior to painting, staining, or detailing adjacent surfaces.
Masking tape and other types of tape with different types of adhesive backing are widely used by painters, auto detailers, and others to mask off various surfaces prior to painting, staining, auto detailing, or applying decals to adjacent surfaces so that the masked surfaces are not painted, stained, or otherwise damaged during the painting, staining, or detailing process. Masking tape is also commonly used for prepping various surfaces for final finishing, repairs, and other applications such as model building. Typically the masking tape is applied by hand and if the edge portion of the tape which abuts the surface to be painted or otherwise repaired is not correctly and fully seated, paint, stain or other working materials will work its way underneath the masking tape and cause ragged or uneven edges and bleeding when the masking tape is removed.
Another problem encountered by painters is a quick and easy way of accurately cutting the tape so that it will more accurately abut adjacent surfaces to be painted or stained in corners and more accurately cover and overlay non-standard surfaces associated with a wide variety of different painted surfaces such as a plurality of grooves and ridges associated with a column or some other decorative design associated with the surface to be painted, stained or otherwise repaired. Since the masking tape is applied to the surface to be masked by hand, it is likewise typically secured to that surface by hand so as to prevent leakage underneath the tape. Such tape is also typically trimmed and cut with a conventional knife blade. Because the surfaces to be masked vary widely and include a wide variety of non-standard surfaces, sealing the masking tape by hand and cutting the tape with a conventional knife blade often results in unsealed and jagged edges which results in leakage underneath the tape and overpainted or overstained surfaces. This not only affects the aesthetic look of the finished product, but it also takes additional time to clean the overpainted or overstained surfaces to achieve a professional look.
It is therefore desirable to provide a variety of different tools for applying masking tape and the like to various surfaces which are easy to manipulate and use regardless of the particular application, which substantially prevent leakage underneath the tape, which substantially reduce clean-up time after a particular application, and which result in a more professional look without additional corrective action.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to various hand tools for applying tape to various surfaces prior to painting, staining, detailing, or otherwise repairing such surfaces, which invention overcomes one or more of the problems as set forth above.